Legend of the Spirit Armor
by Gemini14
Summary: Arago has returned! A new Trooper has emerged from a thousand years of solitude, bringing with him an old friend. Does Ryo and his friends have a chance against the evil? Or will Arago's vengeful spirit destroy them all?
1. Default Chapter

Legend of the Spirit Armor

Prologue

Silence. A thousand years of silence. This was all that the warrior had known since that fateful battle. The only sounds he would hear was his armor, when he moved, and his mournful sighs. He wished he had someone to talk to; another voice to keep him company. To keep him from going mad. He stood up straight when he heard something coming his way. 

"Who's there? Who is it that comes this way?" the warrior asked, as he unsheathed his favorite weapon, a double-bladed broadsword. There was no answer.

"Who's there? Answer!" the warrior shouted, now starting to get a little nervous.

"You will soon find out, Hariel." An evil voice sneered, as dark tendrils shot out, lancing the warrior's shoulder and forcing him to drop his sword. 

"Arago………………." Hariel gasped, as blood flowed freely down his arm and chest. As the evil one gloated over wounding the first Trooper, Hariel opened a portal and crawled through it, hoping against hope that he could reach the earth and warn the people there. 

"_Kaosu_……………._please lend me the strength to reach the earth. I don't have the strength to make it alone._" Hariel thought, before blacking out.


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One: Lost and Found

Shuu grumbled something about lousy weather as thunder rumbled overhead. Near him, Shin contentedly dozed, with an open magazine on his chest. At the table, Touma and Seiji played a game of chess, while Ryo and Jun played with the group's Playstation console. 

"Man, could the weather get any worse?" Shuu moaned, as he turned from the window, disturbing Shin from his nap.

"Well, at least it's not a typhoon or something like that." Shin muttered, his slight British accent coming out in that statement. 

"He's grouchy because he's hungry. Isn't that right, Shuu?" Touma said, dryly. Shuu merely sat there and glowered at Touma, until Byakuen made a sound that sounded like a question.

"What is it, Byakuen?" Ryo asked, before a loud crash sounded from Nasuti's computer room. Without saying a word, the five Troopers summoned their sub-yoroi and dashed upstairs, knowing that whatever had made that sound could be dangerous. When they got there and turned the lights on, they were stunned by what they saw. 

"The Masho!" Touma murmured, as Ryo cautiously approached the three unconscious men and took a closer look. All three of them were wounded and had smoke rising from them. Rajura was the first to regain consciousness.

"Rekka? Rekka no Ryo?" Rajura asked, his voice a painful whisper.

"Lie still, Rajura. What happened? We all thought you had gone back with Kayura to the Nether Realm." Seiji said, as Shin went to retrieve the first aid kit. 

"We did. And for a little while, we thought we could atone for our sins by rebuilding that shattered world. Apparently we couldn't, since Arago has returned from the abyss to seek us out." Rajura replied, bitterly.

"Arago?! But he's dead!" Shuu yelped.

"Yeah, we all saw him die. How is it that he could return, after so much time has passed?" Touma asked, confused.

"His spirit may have gone to ground for a little while, but you didn't destroy it. He waited till he had enough evil energy to reemerge." Rajura replied, as Anubis and Naaza roused up, groaning as they did so. 

"So, we have to face him again…………but how are we going to defeat him? He's a spirit, isn't he?" Ryo asked.

"Yes. He is a spirit now, but there is a way you could seal him away for good." Anubis said, wincing as he tried to sit up.

"How? How do we defeat a spirit?" Shuu asked.

"You need the Spirit Yoroi to do that." Naaza said, staying put while Shin (who'd just returned with the first aid kit) started binding his wounds in bandages.

"Spirit Yoroi?" Ryo asked. Naaza nodded.

"The Spirit Yoroi is the only yoroi that is not connected to Arago. It is a separate armor unto itself; specially created for one warrior in particular." Rajura said, as Seiji finished bandaging his wounds and moved on to Anubis.

"Then how do you know it exists?" Shin asked, looking doubtful about the whole thing.

"Kayura knew who the armorbearer was and she knew that he still lived. His name was Hariel, the first Samurai Trooper." Rajura replied, looking away when car lights flickered on the ceiling of the room.

"Nasuti's back. Let's get downstairs, then we can tell her what's happened." Ryo said, as he helped Rajura to his feet. 

Kaosu felt Shuten's gaze at his back and chuckled. He knew how impatient Shuten could be, especially since he now had a second chance at life. 

"What is so funny, Kaosu?" Shuten asked, sounding somewhat irritated.

"Your impatience, Shuten. Don't worry, you'll get back into the living realm." Kaosu said, as Shuten rolled his eyes and muttered an obscenity under his breath. Right at that moment, they both felt something pass through them.

"What was that evil presence?" Shuten asked, as he looked warily around him.

"I have a feeling that an old enemy had returned, after being dormant for so long. It's no small wonder that the elders wanted you to return to the land of the living!" Kaosu muttered, as he and Shuten quickened their pace. Within moments, the two men were running down the mist-laden paths to where they knew a portal to be. 

"Shuten, here." Kaosu said, as he handed a crystal to Shuten.

"My Yoroi crystal! But where………?!" Shuten said, before being interrupted by Kaosu.

"Listen, Shuten. You must get to the other Masho and the Samurai Troopers before Arago gains a new body. Then you must locate the bearer of the Spirit Yoroi. Shuten, this realm, the Nether-Realm and the earth are depending on you now. Hurry!" Kaosu said, as he literally pushed Shuten through the portal and watched as the portal closed behind him. 

"I can only hope he will not be too late. Hariel will need help getting to the earth, and Shuten is the only one who can do that." Kaosu murmured, as he continued to stand there and look at the empty air where the portal had been.

"Spirit Yoroi?" Nasuti asked, after she'd heard the Masho's story. All of the remaining Masho nodded.

"It was the first Yoroi to ever be forged. Kaosu forged that armor long before Arago attempted to conquer this realm." Rajura said, as Naaza and Anubis exchanged troubled looks.

"I see. And you say that Kayura knew where Hariel was?" Nasuti asked.

"Yes. But when Arago attacked, he struck where he knew we were the weakest. He captured Kayura and is now holding her, trying to figure out how he can take the Spirit Yoroi." Naaza said, quietly.

"So now no one knows where Hariel is? Perfect. Already we're losing, and we haven't even fought our first fist-fight yet!" Shuu said, angrily.

"Well, in both previous instances, we started off losing, but we won in the end." Shin said, trying to be optimistic, even though things looked grim. 

"That's right. We can't give up now! We can still beat Arago! You guys are all powerful warriors! You're not gonna be beaten so easily!" Jun said, enthusiastically. The three Masho smiled, while the Troopers chuckled.

"The boy is right, you know. We can't very well give up now." Anubis said, quietly, as he shifted in his seat.

"Still, I wish Shuten could have been here. I hate to say it, but we really could have used his help when protecting Kayura." Rajura murmured, gloomily.

"Don't worry, Rajura, if anyone can get Kayura back, it's the Ryo and the team." Nasuti said, encouragingly. 

"So, how do we begin to plan our attack?" Ryo asked, looking to Anubis and Touma for advice.

"Let's try to figure out how we're going to find that Spirit Yoroi first, then we'll focus on getting rid of Arago forever." Touma said, as they all gathered around the table, for the first time united in their quest. 

Arago snarled as he tried in vain to find Hariel. He cursed himself for loosing sight of the first Trooper. By now, Hariel could be on earth and he was, by no means, strong enough to attempt to snatch the wounded warrior from that realm. 

"Curse you, Hariel! Curse you!" Arago fumed.

"Please, pay it no mind, Arago-sama. I have found a suitable host for you." A female voice said, gently.

"Very good, Fara. Very good." Arago growled, as his servant smiled and bowed, her long crimson hair brushing the stone floor as she did so. 

"_Soon I will be the ruler of all the realms! Soon I shall have the Spirit Yoroi!_" Arago thought, as rumbling laughter emanated from the throne, even though only a shadow was seen occupying it.


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two: Direction

Shuten growled when he landed soundly on his backside. He had no idea of where he was, but he knew he wasn't alone. When he looked around, he confirmed his suspicions. About ten feet away, another man lay, unconscious, on the ground. Taking notice of this, Shuten quickly got to the other man's side and saw that his shoulder was bleeding heavily, due to a puncture of some sort.

"That's an ugly wound." Shuten muttered, as he tore some strips out of his robes and bound the shoulder in them. There wasn't much else he could do. 

"_We can't stay here for long, especially since Arago has resurfaced._" Shuten thought, as he carefully lifted the wounded man. The man, Shuten noticed, was wearing a sort of silvery white subarmor that glowed strangely in the twilight. His long, opalescent white hair was tied loosely back with some silver cord and long bangs floated above his closed eyes. 

"_Looks almost like Kaosu, only younger._" Shuten thought, as he started walking. 

As the morning sun rose, Seiji tried his best to ignore the feelings of foreboding that were rising in the back of his mind. He knew that what the Masho had said the previous night was true, even if part of his mind didn't want to believe it. 

"Care for some company, Korin?" Anubis asked.

"Suit yourself." Seiji replied, as the Masho quietly took a seat. 

"So, what are you doing out here? I thought you didn't like sunlight." Seiji commented, not even looking at the other man. Anubis sighed.

"I couldn't sleep. Sounds pretty lame coming from the Masho of Darkness, ne?" Anubis asked, with a mirthless chuckle.

"It does." Seiji agreed, quietly. 

"How were things going before we dropped in?" Anubis asked.

"Aren't you getting a little bit personal?" Seiji asked, snappishly. 

"Gomen." Anubis said, as they both fell into an uneasy silence. It was at that moment that loud yelling emanated from inside.

"Shuu's in the kitchen again………." Seiji muttered, with an exasperated sigh, as Shuu was promptly thrown out of the house by Shin's water attack. 

"And I take it Suiko doesn't like him being in the kitchen." Anubis said, as Shuu slowly got back to his feet, shouting all the expletives he knew at Shin. 

"And to think I had always thought those two were the closest of friends." Rajura said, from his perch on the balcony railing. 

"They are. But when Shuu tries to get into the kitchen before any food is done, Shin pitches a conniption fit. After the meal, however, they're back to being best friends again." Touma explained, when more yelling, this time from Nasuti, came from the house. 

"What are you doing awake so early, Touma?" Seiji asked, as he peered curiously at the blue haired teen.

"I couldn't sleep." Touma replied, with a shrug.

"The world is ending." Seiji muttered, getting a dirty look from Touma for that remark.

Meanwhile, a ceremony was underway. Arago laughed as he slipped into his new body. The host had been a perfect choice; Fara had done well. 

"Soon! Soon the search shall begin! I will have that armor!" Arago cackled, as dark energy crackled around him and the body that had been retrieved for him moved, its eyes glowing fiendishly.

Seiji's eyes went wide as evil energy made its presence known.

"Seiji! Daijobu ka?!" Ryo and others asked, as a slight expression of pain crossed Seiji's features. 

"I feel……………..the air is heavy…………..becoming hard to breathe………..so much evil…………" Seiji muttered, gasping as though the air was being forced from his lungs. 

"Get him outside! He needs light!" Rajura shouted, as he and Shuu grabbed Seiji and dragged him outside. The moment Seiji was moved into full sunlight, he started breathing easier. 

"What was that all about?!" Shuu asked, as Touma and Shin looked worriedly at Seiji.

"Arago has just gotten a new body and is making his presence known. He attacked Korin first, since he knew that he is the most sensitive to darkness." Anubis said, as Seiji caught his breath and looked grimly at the others. 

"Who will he attack next?" Ryo asked. 

"I don't know. I wish I did, that way I could tell you how to be ready." Rajura murmured, his own thoughts going back to when he'd been against the Troopers.

Author's Note!

Argh! Short chapter, I know, but I am battling writer's block! Does anybody out there know the Japanese word for 'spirit'? E-mail me if you do! Arigato!

Gemini ^ ^;;;


End file.
